Hurricane Harvey Swallows Van Carrying Family of Six

Hurricane Harvey Swallows Van

Hurricane Harvey swallows a van as it hit hard in Texas, and now, Louisiana. There have been many stories of devastation. Near the top of this list is the tragic story of a van swept away by the tropical storm floodwaters. There were six family members inside the van according to Sheriff Ed Gonzalez of Harris County, Texas. In addition, there was one driver.

Two bodies were found in the white, cargo van. Dive teams were making their way through the treacherous murky water in a wooded area in an attempt to find more remains. When the van sank in Greens Bayou it was reported that six people were inside. Ric Saldivar, brother of the driver of the van, Sammy Saldivar, said that his grandparents, Manuel, 84 and his wife Bella Saldivar, 81, both suffering from Alzheimer’s, were inside the van. The remaining four, in the van, were great-grandchildren. The children included Devy, 16, Dominic, 14, Xavier, 8, and Daisy, 6. The four grandchildren were just found in the back of the van a few hours ago.

The violent floodwaters engulfed their van. According to Ric, “The water picked the van up, and it was just floating after that. It went head-first in, and water came in real fast.”

Ric told CNN that Sammy managed to wiggle out of his seat belt and crawl through the driver’s side window. He made his way to a branch in the rushing water and held on for his life. Rescuers found Sammy alive hanging onto a tree. He reported how he heard the heart-wrenching cries from those inside the van.

Sammy had recently moved to Texas from Missouri to live with his aging parents.

According to NBC News dive teams found the other bodies – all family members have been accounted for.